Whispering Poems

Chapter 3821 The War of Doomsday - Opening

The majestic Mount Fatumunster trembled violently. Even those unaware of the seal within could see the colossal creature trapped within swaying its body. Snowflakes and boulders continued to cascade down the mountainside, the mountain hall was buried by an avalanche, the suspension bridge snapped in the swaying, and even the ring mages and monsters fighting within the mountain ceased their battle at this moment.

Fortunately, before the mountain completely collapsed, a golden halo symbolizing divine power enveloped the mountain's perimeter, and the phantom of a giant golden rune chain bound the main body of the snow mountain, doing everything in its power to ensure that Mount Fatumunster would not collapse.

However, the chains only ensured the integrity of the mountain's foundation. Similar to the situation at the summit, caves and cracks appeared on the mountain as it continued to sway, followed by dim yellow light seeping out from the caves and cracks.

The situation was worse than the church had anticipated. In the third prayer hall of the Church of the Sun in the City of Time, hundreds of ever-burning candles illuminated the room with golden flames, and the artifact known as the "Stone Chains" hummed and vibrated in the sound of hymns. The rusty chains floated on the altar in the very center of the prayer ceremony being held by the hundred-strong priesthood.

The roar of a colossal beast emanating from the snow-capped mountains outside the church could not shake the resonance of the prayers. The rust on the chains peeled away, revealing the golden runes that formed them. But even that golden hue was being corroded by the blackness; after the chains broke, nothing could restrain the main body of the snow-capped mountain anymore.

Pierre Granger, the "Earthshaker" who sacrificed himself in the Battle of Moon Bay but was resurrected by Shad's Chains, was responsible for maintaining the artifact's effect. However, according to his calculations, the chains would break in at most two hours, much earlier than the church had originally expected to last until dawn.

Fortunately, footsteps approached at that moment, and a stranger in white robes entered the hall where no one else should have been present. Mr. Granger stopped the ring mages guarding the ritual site behind the priesthood, temporarily leaving the altar, and quickly went to greet the newcomer:
"Guardians of the Earth".

"This is just an avatar; my true self is still awaiting the summoner's call."

The stranger explained, and then he and Mr. Granger walked past rows of devout priests kneeling in prayer, toward the chains suspended in the center.

Meanwhile, in the courtyard of the Snow Mountain Hall in the southwestern town of Kyle-Todd, the five elders, who had stopped their sacrificial dance, stood together amidst the humming of the snow mountain, watching the peaks sway as if the entire mountain range would stand up at any moment.

Even now, shrouded in thick fog, the people who worship this sacred mountain can still clearly see the colossal creature struggling beneath the mountains and hear the snow-capped peaks howling in anger. Ultimately, this mountain could not suppress the fate of being sealed here by the ancient gods.

“In the prophecy of our ancestors, it was said that the sacred mountain would collapse during the ‘battle of the end times.’ Before the end of this year, I actually thought it was just a legend.”

Elder Harald sighed softly, then said to the other four elders:

“The sacred mountain has protected the people of Fatu for so many years, and now it’s our turn to protect it.”

"Then let's stick to the plan we agreed on and use that without telling Claire and the others."

Elder Vildar nodded, and together with Elders Ursa, Thorin, and Uller, they slit their right palms with silver knives. Elder Harald was the last to do so, and the blood of the five elders dripped into a bowl of water held by the young priest. That bowl of blood was then poured onto the bonfire in the courtyard.

Awaken, return!

Our ancestors, who once paved paths through snow, have awakened from the icy rocks.

Lend us courage, that it may guide us on our way through the cold winter.

We stay by your hearth, waiting for your call to protect us through the winter.

Ancient sacrificial songs drifted into the mountains on the wind, and a thin mist rose over the snow-covered peaks. In that mist, the figures of the Fatu people's priests and elders, who had buried their bodies in the mountain's waterways to strengthen the seal of Mount Fatumont after their deaths, returned on this night.

But this is not a return of the soul, but rather the echoes that once lingered in the homeland being recalled now that the snow-capped mountains are about to collapse.

This is not the power of artifacts or relics; it is the power that people who have benefited from the Snow Mountain since the late Fourth Era are giving back to the Snow Mountain on this night of the final battle.

Some of the summoned echoes joined the battle between the living and the beasts of fate, while others merged with the snow-capped mountains to help the artifacts reinforce them.

The serpent was therefore unable to shatter the mountain range at this moment, but at the top of the snow mountain, the relics of destiny finally appeared completely in the material world, and from then on, the peak of destiny was no longer the highest point of the snow mountain.

The beasts and ring bearers who were originally fighting the ring sorcerers at the entrance of the ruins seemed to sense something. As the earth shook, some left from the mountaintop, while others entered the ruins.

So the ring mages fighting at the Peak of Destiny split into two groups to chase after them, but the number of those who entered the Ruins of Destiny through the Path of Atonement was obviously greater.

Then they all saw the huge hole beneath the collapsed ruins, which seemed to connect to the twilight hell, and they also saw the black giant snake, which could not completely shatter the mountain in a short time, poking its head out from the cave that occupied half of the ruins' ground.

Even in her most terrifying nightmares, Stella couldn't have imagined this scene. There were no flashy lights or sounds, no surreal phenomena beyond her comprehension; only the earth shaking violently as an unimaginably enormous black snake head emerged from the dimly lit cave and gazed at her current location.

The gaze of that colossal being possessed power in itself; under that gaze, Stella felt completely paralyzed, and a question arose in her mind:

"Am I really going to fight this thing?"
However, she quickly realized that the snake wasn't looking at her, because Shad's hand pressed down on her shoulder from behind and gently pushed her aside. Stella, freed from that tangible gaze, was supported by the kind Miss Ingram, and only then did she realize that her back was covered in a fine layer of sweat.

Shad strode forward from the temple entrance, followed by the others who had remained there. Only Miss Pavo remained inside the temple, though she too cast her gaze outwards, clearly curious about what would happen next.

The First Era's End Fate - The Ringed Beast of Calamity - The Doomsday Serpent stared at Shad, its serpentine pupils larger than Shad's body. Shad understood why it didn't shrink its body or transform into a human and fly directly out of the mountain; the serpent was too large, larger than it had imagined. Having been trapped for so many years, even it couldn't quickly adapt to this materialized body.

"Summoner, you always manage to surprise me—what kind of power did you use to leave from the foot of the mountain?"

The snake asked him, its voice vibrating through the air more powerfully than a steam bomb exploding. Shad, unwilling to explain anything related to demons, countered with:
"Have you not finished molting yet?"

"It's not finished yet, but that's enough."

With that sharp, serpentine hiss that followed, the enormous cracks that had already existed in the night sky expanded across the starry expanse. Behind those cracks, the hues of twilight illuminated the darkness of this long night, bringing sandstorms and landscapes that should have appeared at the end of the mythical era.

Yellow sand rolled in, and this was no longer just "before the apocalypse." Xia De clearly felt that this was the real apocalypse unfolding in this era.

The giant snake head didn't rush to attack, but instead looked at Shad probingly, as if expecting him to produce something unexpected again.

Shad then raised his clenched right fist high above his head, and golden, white, and purple light emanated from the back of his hand. He took a deep breath.

"A posture of destiny!"

hum~
The soul that resonated with [Resurrection] and [Miracle] contained divinity, and the power that the soul felt in that instant almost gave Shad the illusion that he was in a state of "divine overflow".

Although he did not gain new divinity, his body grew larger with the resonance of fate, the "afterglow of the first fire" state automatically appeared on his body, and most importantly, the surging spirit within him was enough to fully use the Enchanted Lock once, which was definitely not a false feeling.

As its body grew larger, the enormous moon halo held aloft by its raised right hand also took shape, and the originally pure silver halo of the "Fate Pose" now contained three colors: purple, white, and gold.

The magnificent halo, expanding hundreds of meters in size, was hurled out. As it slid through the sandstorm, it suddenly swelled again, almost reaching the size of the snake's head. The snake opened its mouth, ready to bite at the halo. But unexpectedly, from behind it, a resounding voice cried out its greatest desire—

"Earth Power - Earth Energy Cannon!"

Just as the snake bit down on the moon wheel in front of it, a huge crimson "sun" illuminated the night and dusk, crashing directly into the snake's rear.

Moonlight shone from the front, and the sun from the back, while the serpent itself was still not fully free from the snow-capped mountains. Thus, under the dim, yellowish light, both the sun and the moon struck the serpent. Even though the people in front of the temple and at the entrance to the ruins knew that this enemy could not be defeated so easily, many still held onto a glimmer of hope.

However, at the point where the dazzling light of the sun and moon met, there was no violent energy explosion or annihilation of elements.

The two enormous magical artifacts, one silver and one crimson, gradually annihilated in the dim yellow light emitted by the snake, until they were less than a third of their original size when touched.

Despite the power of the sun and moon being so diminished, they still struck it but caused no damage; in fact, it seemed as if the two magical techniques were absorbed by its black snake scales.